tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215077578479252542.post4319992452113014472..comments2024-03-15T17:06:31.642-05:00Comments on The Piety That Lies Between: A Progressive Christian Perspective: Hellish Pronouncements...and Biblical Comfort for Voting DayEric Reitanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06135739290199272992noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215077578479252542.post-28193222645314603192012-06-11T08:56:27.016-05:002012-06-11T08:56:27.016-05:00"Gay couples are going to get together. It..."Gay couples are going to get together. It's been happening since ancient times. Legal prohibitions didn't, couldn't and would never stop it. Isn't it better that gays conduct their relationships within the context of a well-defined marriage law, same as heterosexual couples?"Gay Relationshipshttp://www.dateats.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215077578479252542.post-41239355530011404672012-06-02T09:16:50.341-05:002012-06-02T09:16:50.341-05:00hi Eric; My pet speculative notion is that salvati...hi Eric; My pet speculative notion is that salvation MEANS becoming the kind of person who loves the same radical way Jesus loved, and the main way to evangelize is to emulate that love (I fail way too frequently of course). In that case, The idea that in the end God successfully guides us all into salvation makes it easier to move in the direction of salvation so defined. If you look at the person you hate the most, and you imagine that in the future you and he will be friends like brothers, well the distance from thee to sincerely blessing this person has become shorter. If my speculation is right, then it makes perfect SENSE for universalists to spread that word--the more people who see life like that the better it is for all of us.keith johnsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215077578479252542.post-23161883776047430842012-06-01T14:41:10.618-05:002012-06-01T14:41:10.618-05:00Ah, the fine art of proof-texting, how I miss it! ...Ah, the fine art of proof-texting, how I miss it! It makes theology so much simpler.Øystein Evensennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215077578479252542.post-52886665484095564632012-05-31T20:49:43.876-05:002012-05-31T20:49:43.876-05:00I'll never understand how Fundamentalist Chris...I'll never understand how Fundamentalist Christians got themselves all mixed up with the Republican party, whose values are generally even further from the ethos of the gospels than the Democrats' are (war, ignoring the poor, individualism, wealth envy, global inequality, capital punishment, torture, raping Creation for selfish ends, etc. etc.)<br /><br />Although I do understand why, having made a commitment to the Republican party, they are so fiercely against gay marriage. When your party stands for 101 things that the New Testament speaks out against, you have to cling onto the few things that the Bible and the Republicans actually do have in common, like homophobia.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12904372539771893019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215077578479252542.post-49665605725100873122012-05-31T17:44:19.870-05:002012-05-31T17:44:19.870-05:00Why think that evangelism has to be about hell-avo...Why think that evangelism has to be about hell-avoidance? Evangelism, in terms of its literal and original meaning, is about spreading good news. Why think that the reason to spread the good news diminishes if it turns out that the news is a little less good--because if you don't believe in the good news you're going to roast forever (not very good news at all, really)? <br /><br />Or, to approach the issue in another way, why do you actively and persistently seek to convince theists that they are full of balogna, given that you believe that theists end up with the same final fate as atheists? <br /><br />There are many motives we have share our beliefs, our stories, our hopes, our convictions, and our reasoning--the threat of cosmic punishment for those who get their beliefs wrong hardly strikes me as the best or most coherent of these motives--and if you take that motive away, many motives for sharing our thoughts and convictions and treasured narratives remain.Eric Reitanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06135739290199272992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6215077578479252542.post-7880658432321031172012-05-31T16:48:48.459-05:002012-05-31T16:48:48.459-05:00So can I ask.. why worry about atheists or do evan...So can I ask.. why worry about atheists or do evangelism of any kind? Isn't it kind of pointless, other than making you feel part of a larger group in this world, or allowing you to pontificate, etc.? And why did Jesus dwell on having to believe in him if you really don't have to believe in him?Burkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11158223475895530397noreply@blogger.com